Bloomability

I really enjoy this book and it makes me extremely jealous of kids who had the opportunity to go to a school like this where a good majority of the students come from countries all over the world and speak all different languages. The descriptions of Switzerland make you want to hop right on a

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plane and never come back. The story is a good one and you can feel the main character grow and change for the better. It also has some scary moments and a lot of laughs. It is also possible to pick up some Italian, Spanish, and Japanese words.

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I loved this book. It is Sharon Creech's finest work. An inspiring story of Dinnie and how she finds out more about herself in her year abroad at an international school. Absolutely excellent!

Summary: Dinnie has been "kidnapped"! By who you ask? Why none other then her Aunt and Uncle. That's right they have "kidnapped" her and taken her to her Uncle's boarding school in Switzerland. That's so unfair right! Right?.....right?
Review: Oh, no the book list actually picked a good book.

I think this book is fulll of adventure and many freindships.

This book is realistic fiction, and it is a great example because it is set in todays world. It is set in both U.S.A and in Switzerland, and during this time period. The characters are all very believable. I would say this would be appropriate for intermediate grades and up. I enjoyed it greatly

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and I would use this book in the classroom to show them what possibilities they have in life, and also how students around the world live. I think this book is a great example of plot, the plot goes up and down through out leaving the reader wanting more. In the end the book the plot is highly elevated, but there is good resolution in the end making everyone happy .

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sweet outsider story of a young girl going to live in Switzerland with her aunt and uncle. Recommended by my niece--thanks A!

This book is hilarious! I really liked it. I love how she got "kidnapped" Overall, I really nice story

This was a nice book for older elementary and up students that manages to tell a story without inserting something discomforting to more conservative parents and teachers. Aside from the avalanche, I can't say there was a whole lot of excitement. It would be good to use in conjunction with a study

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of Switzerland and Italy in terms of geography, culture, and language.

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Bloomability by Sharon Creech- Dinnie is sent to live with her aunt and uncle in Switzerland. Her uncle, Max, is the headmaster of a boarding school where Dinnie becomes a new student. She makes new friends and gets to see new things. One day two of her friends are trapped in an avalanche, but

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Dinnie was watching and able to point out where they were. Both friends are saved. At the end of the story Dinnie is given the choice of going back to America to stay or for just the summer. We are left guessing which choice she will make.
I always like books that leave you guessing about what really happens after the book ends. Most of my students however do not like stories with no definite ending.
One extension activity after reading this in class would be to have the students write their own continuation of what happens after the book ends.

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12 year old Domenica Santolina Doone, otherwise known as Dinnie, has lived in 12 different states in her 12 years as her father keeps chasing that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Then her uncle gets a job as the headmaster of the American School in Switzerland and he and his wife take Dinnie

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along to live with them and attend this international boarding school. Dinnie's world opens up into a rich field of friends from a smorgasbord of international backgrounds, skiing and hiking in breathtakingly beautiful mountains, great teachers, fieldtrips around Europe and learning Italian.

There are some very amusing events, mostly stemming from Dinnie's attempts at learning Italian, and the story has an undeniable appeal to it. The American School seems almost too wonderful to be real...for two weeks the whole school body moves to a hotel in St. Moritz and hold abbreviated classes in the morning and evening so everyone can ski during the mid-day. However, the plot is somewhat thin and there is not a whole lot going on other than making friends and going to classes, but Creech manages to make even these mundane things interesting. Major themes are the ties of friendship and change.

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Domenica Santolina Doone (aka "Dinnie") is not happy when her aunt and uncle take her from New Mexico to Switzerland to attend an international boarding school where her uncle has been named headmaster. Adventures, fun, and understanding quickly follow.

“Bloomability”
Domenica Santolina Doone, Dinnie, was moving again. For as long as she could remember Daddy would pack his bag and go to where the “opportunities” were. Dinnie had a box with all her memories in it. She never put a new address in the box until they had left that place. The

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year Dinnie turned fourteen; her parents told her she had a great “opportunity.” Her uncle was the headmaster at a Swiss finishing school and she was going to live with them and go to school there. Dinnie was not so sure she liked this new opportunity. She loved her family and wanted to stay with them. During her year in Switzerland, Dinnie has to grow up a lot. She does not hear from her family very often. She ends up making great friends in school and learns a lot about life and growing up. I liked this book because it addresses the problem that people have with changes in their lives. One great activity would be a quick write about what memories you would put in a shoebox to keep. Another one would be to have the students make their own shoeboxes to keep their memories from the school year in. I rated this book four star, because it is a great read and reminds me about the hesitation with which you met new “opportunities.”

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I loved this book when I was 10 years old. It one of Creech's more "cutesy" novels but it is still a story of self-discovery. I think many other middle-school aged children should be able to identify with this book.

Bloomability, by Sharon Creech, is a story about a young girl named Dinnie Doone, who leaves her life following her father around the United States looking for "new job opportunities" to go live at a boarding school in Switzerland with her aunt and uncle.

At first, Dinnie isn't sure what to make of

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her new setting, with students from around the world and the gorgeous landscape that is nothing like back home. But after Dinnie learns that everyone there is new, just like her, she realizes that she can take a hold of all the "bloomabilities" around her and develop into a person she never dreamed of being.

Bloomability is a very-well written story that has great character development and an enticing plot. This book would be best for adolescents and anyone who enjoys a great read. Out of many amazing novels by Sharon Creech, Bloomability is surely one of her finest.

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Dinnie Doone has grown up moving. In fact, by the time she was 13 she had moved over 14 times! But when Dinnie moves from a small town in New Mexico to scenic Switzerland, her whole world changes. When she makes new friends and is faced to make decisions she has never had before, Dinnie looks at

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her self and finds who she really is.

Sharon Creech does a great job targeting her audience. Because Dinnie is 13 years old, I would recommend this book to a middle school aged student in the need for a book club novel. The book was easy to get through but had a lot of meaning and thought within it. Praise to Sharon Creech for a great piece to read and an amazing book to discuss.

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Bloomability is a book written by Sharon Creech about a 13 year old girl named Dinnie Doone who lives with her family in Abiquiu New Mexico, when her aunt and uncle take her all the way Switzerland where she will attend her uncle’s boarding school. The term Bloomability comes from her new

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Japanese friend keisuke, as his version of possibilities. This book is a great read for a school assignment, a quick read, a group read or even book clubs. Even though it is a fiction book it has a little geography and a hint of romance. Sharon does a great job creating Dinnie’s character, even though we have nothing in common I could easily relate to her pain and loneliness. There are many other intricate characters and I guarantee you will find one you can connect with. I was a little disappointed with the ending, I personally like when books have a solid ending but many other people I know like cliff hangers where they can choose the end so that it satisfies them. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to all age groups, even adults will enjoy this exciting story of Dinnie’s adventures.

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Bloomability is about a girl named Dinnie. She moves a lot because her dad is looking for new “opportunities”. By the time she’s 13, she has already moved 13 times and has gotten used to adapting to a new place. While living in New Mexico, her aunt and uncle whom she has never met before

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whisk her away to a small town on the border of Switzerland. There, she goes to an American boarding school where everything is so different then back home; even though she doesn’t know where home is anymore.

At first she can’t decide if she likes it there or not, she wants to rebel. Just run away. But of course she adapts, she’s used to adapting. While in Switzerland; she makes new friends, meets lots of people, sees famous landmarks, learns new things, and has the time of her life. But once the school year is over, she’s forced to make a life changing decision. Stay in Switzerland or go “home”? Stay with your aunt and uncle or finally get to see/live with mom and dad again? Stay with your new friends or go home to no friends?

I really liked this book. I have a hard time getting into books, and I don’t have many on my “favorites” list, but I can tell you that of the few on there- this one is around the top. I would recommend this book for girls aged 9-13. It’s a pretty easy read and really interesting. One thing I loved about this book is that it really made me think. The main character is pretty quiet so there’s not a whole lot of dialog and a lot of her thinking, which is really cool because you feel like your inside her head and you can really connect with her. Over all this is a really great book and highly recommended for someone looking for a fast, fun, and easy read.

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Bloomability by Sharon Creech was one of my favorite books as a child. I had all but forgotten it until recently, only recalling that it had made an impact on my adolescence. Once I picked it up to reread as an adult, it was like I was a kid again. I understood the narrator, Dinnie, and her

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confusion with life. Her family dynamic is complicated, so you'd think that having her aunt and uncle whisk her away to a middle school in Switzerland would be an adventure and relief. But Dinnie knows about adventure, and what she needs is stability and opportunity to just be herself. And that's exactly what she finds, in the last place she'd expect.

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Sweet, predictable, somewhat formulaic- kid goes to Switzerland, adjusts, makes friends, is sad to leave, grows in understanding, becomes more mature. Still, charming in parts, and quite readable.

Dinnie's family has always moved around a lot, thanks to her father's dreaming and search for new opportunities. When her brother and sister's problems become overwhelming, Dinnie is suddenly shipped off with her aunt and uncle to spend a year with them in Switzerland at the school where her uncle

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is headmaster, In spite of her fears, Dinnie gains new friends and knowledge about herself and the world. Her aunt and uncle and their school provide just the stability and nurturing that help Dinnie appreciate the beauties of Switzerland and the European culture.

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I dunno. I'm a big fan of Creech, and I like the ideas & characters she shared here. I'm not sure however how honest the voice was - would a child really be this perceptive? If you like Creech or are intrigued by the premise of meeting a bunch of students from around the world at a Swiss boarding

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school, go ahead and try it.

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Kidnapped!The kidnappers are actually her Aunt Sandy and Uncle Max, but that doesn't matter to Domenica Santolina Doone, better known as Dinnie. She feels as if she's being taken out of the country against her will. Certainly no one asked her opinion. Dinnie is used to change-with her family

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constantly moving from state to state while her father searches for one new "opportunity" after another. But when her aunt and uncle whisk her away to an international school in Lugano, Switzerland, Dinnie feels that this might be one "opportunity"that isn't right for her.Suddenly Dinnie's surrounded by kids from many different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. Home, and her first life, seem so far away. Can she adapt to a new country, a new home, and new friends? Or will it just be easier to close herself off-just survive-and never realize all the "bloomabilities" that are possible?

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I read this after my 10 year old had read it, and then suggested it to me because she had enjoyed it. It is aimed at a younger audience (the main character is 13 years old) so it is a quick read, but I really enjoyed it. The books follows a year in the life of Dinnie, a girl with a family that

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moves around a lot, as she is sent to boarding school in Lugano, Switzerland for a year. It is a wonderful book of adolescent discovery, but what I enjoyed were her experiences traveling and studying abroad and how it shaped who she was. It spoke to me, as someone who studied abroad in college (and made me jealous that I didn't get this opportunity even earlier in life!) and it has opened the way for some fun conversations with my 10 year old.

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I really love this book. The characters are vivid, the setting lovingly described, and the story interesting and original. Its not an overly complicated book, but is well written and fulfilling to read.

I feel like I relate more to the protagonist of this book than the others in Sharon Creech's

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stories. Not really for situational reasons but in terms of personality and way of thinking. The main character, Dinnie, has a lot of fears and doubts but also a capacity for wonder and joy that I love reading about and find personally cathartic. A firm 5 stars.

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